St. Justin was born in the early part of the second century. He was a Palestinian of Greek parentage, likely from Samaria. A well-educated young man, he tried various schools of thought and experimented with several different philosophies of his day. Eventually, he met one of the early Christians and began a study of the Hebrew and Christian scriptures at Ephesus. At the age of 30, he accepted the gift of faith and was Baptized.
Continuing in his chosen vocation as a philosopher, Justin traveled from place to place, thinking, writing, speaking, arguing, and defending Christian beliefs. Unfortunately, only fragments of his many writings have survived. Among these are brief descriptions of the Mass and Baptism. In the custom of his time, Justin, as an established philosopher and teacher, founded a school at Rome. He was eventually denounced as a Christian by Crescens, a pagan philosopher whom he had beaten in debate. Justin and six other Christians (five men and a woman) were put to death in 165, after they refused to offer sacrifice to the gods at Rome. His response to the command to worship the idols was a simple statement: “No right-minded person forsakes the truth for falsehood.”
Let us pray. “O God, who through the folly of the Cross wondrously taught Saint Justin the Martyr the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ, grant us, through his intercession, that, having rejected deception and error, we may become steadfast in the faith. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you for ever and ever. Amen.”
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“We are not a new philosophy but a divine revelation. That’s why you can’t just exterminate us; the more you kill the more we are. The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” Tertullian’s Apologeticus
For more on St. Justin, Martyr: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-justin-martyr
For more on Martyrdom: https://media.ascensionpress.com/2018/09/17/blood-of-the-martyrs-is-still-seed-for-the-church/
